


Dinner (Not) Date

by amurgin, ColonelSoapScum



Series: Highway to Heaven [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Biker!Aranea, Canon Disabled Character, F/M, Highspecs Biker AU, M/M, Multi, Novelist!Aranea, Open Relationship, Poly Relationship, Psychologist!Ignis, Takes place in Insomnia/Eos but outside game canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 18:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12687630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amurgin/pseuds/amurgin, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColonelSoapScum/pseuds/ColonelSoapScum
Summary: “We met in university.” Ignis was just now starting on his food, but he continued to listen intently. “There wasn’t much to it. We dated for a bit, fucked for longer, and then we stayed close friends. Our jobs keep us connected.”“And do you still…”Aranea saw him make a gesture. Raising her eyebrow, she helped him formulate his thoughts. “Fuck? Sometimes, for old times’ sake.”





	Dinner (Not) Date

Dates were not her forte. Aranea knew this well.

_“Shall we discuss more later, perhaps over dinner? It will be a business meeting, of sorts.”_

“Business meeting”, he called it. It was a date. Clearly a date. But the blind doctor with the sharp jawline, with the pristine suit and those handsome, veiny hands, clearly had no idea what constitutes a business meeting. There was little she could do now, though. She hadn’t put nearly as much thought into her attire as she had into trying to anticipate how the night would go. One of her regular pairs of ripped jeans, tight top, nice set of lingerie (just in case), and her beloved leather jacket would suffice. It’s not like he could see her anyway, right?

Noticing the time, Aranea rushed to grab the few essential items she always carried with her — phone, keys, wallet. “Twenty minutes left?”, she sneered at the clock, “ _Let’s fucking go.”_ Helmet in her hand, she darted out the door and headed straight for her motorcycle.

If she had to pick one word to describe how riding felt, it would have been ‘secure’. There was something homely about the feeling of the leather seat vibrating beneath her ass, raw speed at the tip of her fingers, and _she_ was the one in control. _Always._ There was a sense of trust Aranea felt towards the hunk of metal, the kind she had yet to share with anyone else, not even her partners and various other sources. Though, she felt differently towards Ignis. Something about him made her feel like she could trust him. Either that, or his good looks had gotten to her, but that wasn’t a topic she was interested in pursuing any further.

Once she parked, Aranea pulled her phone out and smirked at the display. “Eighteen minutes.” A personal best, and she still had a couple of minutes to spare. It didn’t take her long to find the restaurant, a large establishment with a rather fancy-looking clientele. She squinted at the interior. This is what she got for letting the esteemed _Doctor Scientia_ choose a place to meet.

“Business meeting. _Not_ a date.” She recited quietly, a mantra to keep herself composed. It wasn’t that she was nervous, more like, Aranea just couldn’t figure out what she wanted from Ignis.

Eventually, she made her way in, and the hostess, a polite girl wearing a tight, black dress, showed her to the table. She was really cute, and Aranea gave her a dazzling smile that flustered her. After, the young girl walked away shyly, her cheeks turning redder by the second.

“How long have you been waiting for? Oh, let me guess. Twenty minutes?” She enjoyed teasing him whenever possible, at least in their first few meetings. Meanwhile, Ignis had stood up and walked over to Aranea, pulling a chair back for her to sit in before returning back to his own seat. He never missed a beat.

“Thirty minutes, to be exact.”

“Of course, of course.” She laughed softly. “Well, regardless, sorry to keep you waiting. Have you ordered yet?”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It gave me enough time to decide on which dish I wanted to try out tonight.” Reaching for the glass directly in front of him, he took a sip of water while Aranea watched entirely too closely for her own good. “But, I have not ordered, no. It would not be polite of me.”

“I guess not. Truth is, I planned on asking what you would recommend, anyway.” She had already flipped through the menu, but Aranea rarely ate such extravagant food. “If it were my choice, I would’ve taken you out for a burger and drove you somewhere up on a hill, where we could imagine what the city looks like from above.”

She didn’t expect to hear him laugh, so honestly, so damn beautifully. But that’s just what he did.

“If I did not know any better, I would say that that almost sounds like a date.”

“Almost.” She sighed, as quietly as she could, even though she knew he could hear her. Guess they don’t teach psychologists how to recognize someone obviously, very bluntly, hitting on them. Just what was the point in getting a doctorate, then?

“A recommendation? Tough decision, indeed”, Ignis mused out loud, “If I could only have one dish, it would absolutely have to be the Brandy Flamed Peppercorn Steak.”

“Sure. That sounds real good.” It was then that the waiter came by, a young man with a bright smile. He greeted them with utmost politeness, and Aranea acknowledged him with a smile of her own. After ordering for the two of them, Ignis turned his attention back to her.

“Shall we discuss some of the details of your project, Miss Highwind?”

“Aranea’s fine, really.” She just could not give a shit about honorifics. “We could do that, _or,_ and here’s the fun alternative, we could get to know each other better instead.”

“I thought you were on a timeline.” Ignis cocked a brow at her, but she simply laughed.

“Oh, I am. Getting to know my _partner_ better is a very important point on my timeline. After all, if we are gonna collaborate, shouldn’t we know the type of person we’re working with?”

A few seconds passed, and Aranea could tell he was thinking hard on her words. Ignis definitely did not want to admit she was right, but she was, and _that_ was something she knew well.

Finally, he sighed in defeat. “I am afraid there is some reason to your words.”

“Don’t act so upset. Think of it this way, you can also ask me whatever you want.” They both knew she had caught his attention. “There must be something you’re itching to ask me, Doctor _.”_

His face lit up with curiosity, excitement, and something Aranea couldn’t quite pinpoint. It was adorable, to say the least. She hadn’t given him a lot of time to do his research, and the novelist could be quite pushy. It was a requirement in her line of work. So, naturally, he had questions.

“There are certainly a few things I am curious about.”

“From a psychological perspective, or as a woman?” She grinned as she watched the question dye his face a perfect shade of pink.

“Both. I suppose.”

“Then, shoot away, Specs.” Ignis looked at her inquisitively, but decided not to question her on the new nickname. Something seemed to distract him for a brief moment, followed by the reemergence of the young waiter, two dishes expertly balanced on one of his arms. It must have been the smell of the food. My, what keen senses he has. Regardless, the small interruption didn’t distract Ignis for long.

“I cannot help but wonder, where are you from, Aranea?” He waited for an answer, but received only the muffled sound of moans. She was already indulging herself in the food.

“Holy crap. This is _really_ good.” Aranea noticed Ignis laughing tenderly at her, and was visibly taken aback by the warmth of his voice. She swallowed quickly, and after clearing her throat, responded with a quiet laugh. “Next question. I promise I’ll book an appointment for that one.”

“I thought you wanted us to get to know each other better.”

“Hey, I never said I was gonna answer. All I said was that you could ask me whatever you wanted.” Ignis rubbed his temple in frustration, but he let it go.

“Then, how did you _really_ come across me?”

“Now, see, that’s a good question. It’s a funny story, really” She smiled widely, chugging down a good amount of the water in her glass before speaking again. “You and I, we have a common friend who happened to tell me all about you. Nyx Ulric.”

“Nyx?” He perked up, genuinely surprised.

“That’s not even the funny part of the story. Turns out we’ve both dated him, so the guy knows a good deal about the two of us. I mentioned the project I was working on, and he recommended you. Lucky me.”

“Hold on for a moment. Exactly what has he told you?” Ignis gulped, and Aranea’s eyes glimmered at the thought of all the dirt she had on Doctor Ignis Scientia.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” If only he could see the shit-eating grin on her face. “Plenty.”

“Will you be booking an appointment for that one, too?” They laughed together.

“Maybe.”

“What about him? How did the two of you become acquainted?”

“We met in university.” Ignis was just now starting on his food, but he continued to listen intently. “There wasn’t much to it. We dated for a bit, fucked for longer, and then we stayed close friends. Our jobs keep us connected.”

“And do you still…”

Aranea saw him make a gesture. Raising her eyebrow, she helped him formulate his thoughts. “Fuck? Sometimes, for old times’ sake.” She chuckled. “It’s my turn now, though! So, what made you become a psychologist?”

“I have always held interest in the human mind and its various functions. Being a psychologist allows me to study these functions closely, while also helping people.”

“Well, aren’t you an everyday hero? Maybe that’s why people find you _inspirational_.” Aranea emphasized the last word, maybe even mockingly. Ignis furrowed his brows. Guess it was a bit of a sore topic.

“People often choose to pay attention only to my impairment, and not my actual capabilities. My blindness precedes my accomplishments.”

“Sounds about right.” She took a bite out of the juicy meat, chewing carefully before speaking again. “People see what they want to see, and often times, they only look on the surface. A scar, a limp leg, a missing arm – they’ll notice those long before they take the time to start a conversation with that person. But nobody can deny that your theories and papers are pretty fucking gnarly, and that has nothing to do with you being blind.”

“You really think so?” He looked at her with a sort of childish expectation. Aranea felt like, in this moment, she could make him or break him, but Ignis had already made so much of himself.

“Sure do, and so do others. Nyx never told me.”

“About my blindness?” Ignis’ interest was piqued, Aranea responded first with a nod, then corrected with a small affirmative noise.

“I read as much of your work as I could get my hands on, and I never knew. Not that it would’ve made a difference.” Ignis murmured in thought. Her words seemed to sit with him for a while, until she broke the silence. “Alright, this is the big question of the night. Points are tripled. I know you’ve dated men, but how do you feel about women?”

“And this is supposed to help your research how, exactly?” But he was laughing.

“Indulge me, will you?” She purred and batted her eyelashes, and Ignis just couldn’t say no.

“I have a preference for men, but if the right woman came along, I would date her as readily as I would a man.”

“Duly noted.”

“And…?”

“That’s all. I got everything I need.” She smiled a big, harmless smile, and Ignis did the same, despite sighing.

“Just how am I supposed to make heads or tails of you?”

“That’s just it. You’re not.” 

The night passed by slowly, as the two savored each other’s company. Aranea felt warm with laughter and affection and security. She adored Ignis, the way he spoke, his choice of words, their endless back-and-forth, _everything._ It was nothing short of perfect. When they decided to call it a night, Aranea walked Ignis out, her arm wrapped around his.

“You sure you don’t want a ride?”

“I must admit, I have never experienced a motorcycle ride. It will take me a few other meetings before I can brave your steed.”

She squeezed his arm reassuringly, leaning into his side. He was warm, and it was cold outside.

“I’ll hold you to that.” After waving a cab over, she saw Ignis safely inside it. “Next time, we’re going for burgers.”

He smiled at her, and suddenly, she was warm, too. “Good night, Aranea.”

“Night, Specs.”

She shut the door and watched the cab drive off. This was something she could get used to. Aranea thought about their future totally-not-date dates, and her heart drummed loudly. It was almost midnight when she got to her motorcycle. Helmet tightened, she revved the bike. She could definitely do better than eighteen minutes.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! [colonelsoapscum](http://archiveofourown.org/users/colonelsoapscum/pseuds/colonelsoapscum) and I are collaborating on a really cool Highspecs AU, _Highway to Heaven _, and this happens to be the second part of it. Hopefully, you guys are as excited as we are! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶__


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